Dr. Octagon's 'Dr. Octagonecologyst' is one of my all time favourite albums.Dr. Octagon is one of the nicknames of Kool Keith from the legendary Ultramagnetic MC's, music on this album is great, excellent scratches by Qbert and totally off the hook lyrics by Kool Keith!

That is also one of my all time favourite hiphop tunes! IMHO the production is a true masterpiece!I´d definately recomend you to check out the rest of J Dilla´s back catalogue, especially his old group Slum Village (Fantastic vol 1 and 2). He has produced countless of classics.Also, if you´re interested in newer things which draws inspiration from J Dillas production style, maybe a guy like Flying Lotus would be something for you. His first album 1983 builds on the same tradition as J Dilla, but takes it further in a more electronica/experimental style.

If you´re just looking for soulful and atmospheric hiphop names like The Roots, Common, Black Star, A Tribe Called Quest ect. would also appeal to you.

Dr. Octagon's 'Dr. Octagonecologyst' is one of my all time favourite albums.Dr. Octagon is one of the nicknames of Kool Keith from the legendary Ultramagnetic MC's, music on this album is great, excellent scratches by Qbert and totally off the hook lyrics by Kool Keith!

Dr. Octagon's 'Dr. Octagonecologyst' is one of my all time favourite albums.Dr. Octagon is one of the nicknames of Kool Keith from the legendary Ultramagnetic MC's, music on this album is great, excellent scratches by Qbert and totally off the hook lyrics by Kool Keith!

Dr. Octagon's 'Dr. Octagonecologyst' is one of my all time favourite albums.Dr. Octagon is one of the nicknames of Kool Keith from the legendary Ultramagnetic MC's, music on this album is great, excellent scratches by Qbert and totally off the hook lyrics by Kool Keith!

The Analog Brothers! Never expected that name to be mentioned here. And as a hard core Ice-T fan (at least from the age 6 to 18) it's not his project alone. You can't forget Ice Oscillator in the mix.

The recent week I've been listening almost strictly to Scarface's brilliant catalogue and also (surprise surprise) Ice-T's Rhyme Pays (the beat to Squeeze the Trigger is so ahead of its time!). Reggae has been taking the backseat mostly to hippity hop and other music (Beyoncé's latest album is incredible).

If you like the J Dilla I think you should check for other stuff he has done and related artists. Jaylib featuring Madlib is quite nice. The song Red has one of the nicest beats from the early 00's.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRzRSCRZweY

JJ, too much **** to recommend based on that sample but it seems you'll probably enjoy 90's productions or 2000's production that sound like 90's productions. Lyrically you might want the same thing. One of the biggest differences to my mind between, so called, hip hop now vs. then is that, despite rappers obvious ego/swagger to be put out there during any era, back then the ego/swagger seemed to be delivered more as a supplemental to the lyrical content/delivery where as now the lyrical content/delivery is the supplemental to the ego/swagger, that ego/swagger being the ENTIRE point. The content and lyrics seem to be derived and delivered with the SOLE purpose of letting the listener see and know just how clever(or whatever self serving adjective applies) the "rapper" is or rather perceives themselves to be. It's painfully obvious to these ears but I am clearly in the minority apparently on this issue. And the quality of the beats now a days can only be described or analogized to some jerk off who got their hands on a piece of equipment, has no clue about music, and was enchanted by the many sounds on that piece of equipment and just started playing the sounds and fell in love with whatever dingbat patches they put together not realizing they loved it because they think they actually made those sounds up recorded and let mediocrity reign....I think there's some Greek myth about a reflection in a river and falling in love with it that sums up the condition quite nicely.